Sleep Needs Of Pre-Teens: Understanding The Magic Number

how mich sleep do pre teens need

Sleep is an important part of a teenager's life, but many teens face challenges when it comes to getting enough of it. Experts recommend that teens between the ages of 13 and 18 get 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, but this recommendation changes for preteens and adult teenagers. Sleep deprivation can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as poor decision-making, moodiness, and irritability.

Characteristics Values
Recommended amount of sleep 8 to 10 hours per night
Average amount of sleep 7 to 7 1/2 hours per night

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Teens need 8-10 hours of sleep per night

Teens need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. This is an hour or so more than they needed at age 10. While every teenager is different, and some may need more or less sleep, the average teen gets 7 to 7 and a half hours of sleep per night. This means that many teens are operating in a state of chronic sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can cause poor or risky decision-making, moodiness and irritability, and lack of energy. It can also make it difficult for teens to regulate their hormones. Recognising these challenges can help teens and their caregivers make a plan to ensure they get the sleep they need.

To help teens get enough sleep, numerous districts and cities in the US have pushed back their secondary school start times. California was the first state to pass a law setting minimum start times for middle and high schools, and Florida recently passed a similar law.

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Sleep deprivation can cause poor decision-making, moodiness and irritability

Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on a teen's overall health and well-being. It is important for teens and their caregivers to recognise the challenges to getting enough sleep and to make a plan to ensure teens are getting the recommended amount. This might include adjusting school start times, as some districts and states have already done, or making changes to bedtime routines and habits. By prioritising sleep, teens can improve their decision-making, mood, and energy levels.

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Puberty hormones can cause sleep disruption

Pre-teens need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. However, puberty hormones can cause sleep disruption. During puberty, the circadian rhythm shifts, and you become tired later in the day. This is due to the interplay of multiple neurotransmitters and hormones, including growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), somatostatin, ghrelin, catecholamines, dopamine, and excitatory amino acids.

Research has shown that sleep disruption does not affect growth hormone (GH) secretion in pubertal children. GH pulses occur after sleep onset in association with slow-wave sleep (SWS). However, it is important to note that this research is limited and has not been studied in children to quantify the effect of disrupted sleep on GH secretion.

While healthy nutrition and regular exercise are important, it is also crucial to ensure that pre-teens are getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as poor or risky decision-making, moodiness, and irritability.

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Social media anxiety can cause sleep disruption

Pre-teens need a lot of sleep. Experts recommend that teens between the ages of 13 and 18 get 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. However, this recommendation changes for pre-teens. One source suggests that teens need 9 to 9 and a half hours of sleep per night, which is an hour or so more than they needed at age 10. Another source states that the average teen gets 7 to 7 and a half hours of sleep per night, but they need between 8 and 10 hours to be truly rested and to allow their bodies' biochemical factories to regulate those turbulent puberty hormones.

Excessive social media use has been linked to poor sleep quality, daily dysfunction, sleep disorder, and depression. Social media use at night and emotional interests in social media are two important elements in relation to adolescent sleep and wellbeing. Hallmarks in social media use such as sleep interruptions from incoming text messages, the pressure of being available, and feeling stressed and guilty in missing a new message, content or call, have been mentioned as reasons for depression in previous studies. Age vulnerability of adolescents for anxiety and depression, interfering digital screen exposure at bedtime with melatonin production, and the stress of availability in social media use can be considered as the most important reasons for increasing the risk of depression by excessive use of social media.

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Lack of sleep can cause a lack of energy

Pre-teens need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. However, the average teen only gets 7 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night. This means that many teens are sleep-deprived.

Sleep deprivation can have a number of negative effects, including a lack of energy. When you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and find it hard to concentrate and remember things. Sleep deprivation can also make you grumpy and irritable.

In addition, a lack of sleep can increase the level of ghrelin and decrease the level of leptin, leading to increased food cravings to compensate for the lack of energy. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, heart disease, and strokes.

Getting enough sleep is vital for overall health and wellbeing. It allows the body to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. For children and young people, sleep is also when their bodies and minds grow and develop.

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Frequently asked questions

Pre-teens need 9 to 9 1/2 hours of sleep per night.

Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night.

Sleep deprivation can cause poor or risky decision-making, moodiness and irritability, and lack of energy.

Pre-teens can get more sleep by going to bed earlier.

Healthy nutrition and regular exercise can help pre-teens get more sleep.

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